Best Family Vacations with Teens
The key to family vacations with teens and pre-teens is knowing their interests and choosing activities that they’ll actually enjoy. Of course, everyone’s interests vary, so here’s a list of our tried-and-true suggestions for best family vacations with teens!
If your children are a bit younger, we also have suggestions for some of the best places to visit in Europe with kids.
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1) London
London is full of attractions; with an incredibly rich history, flair for imaginative literature and a modern edge that the cool kids crave, London will have your teens wanting to explore more.
For history buffs, or those who have and affinity for horror, check out the London Dungeon for a grim and graphic history lesson. Experience what life was like during the Plague through a hilarious, and yet also a bit scary interpretation of London’s gruesome past.
For movie lovers, we recommend stopping at Madame Tussauds (the Star Wars experience is fantastic) or one of the many filming locations of Harry Potter scattered throughout the city. Leadenhall Market and Borough Market (which dates back to the Viking era!) were both film locations of The Leaky Cauldron. Or, for a fully magical experience, consider taking one of the many Harry Potter tours to combine multiple filming locations!
For literature aficionados, head straight along the Thames to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; it is an experience worth having for anyone taking a trip to London. Or for shoppers, or even just a cool, cosmopolitan London experience, stroll through the Shoreditch neighborhood to admire the street art, cafes and vintage shops. For a unique shopping experience, head to Boxpark: a collection of hip, pop up shops and eateries inside old shipping containers!
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2) Rome
Ah, the Eternal City; it truly is an enchanting city that never loses is draw, regardless of a person’s age. For teens and pre-teens especially, Rome is other-worldly and has plenty to explore!
Seeing one of the Wonders of the World, the Colosseum, is a must for any age. As a young person however, learning about the gladiators will be especially intriguing. And of course, you have to hit up the obvious Plaza Navona, Forum and Trevi Fountain; don’t forget to toss a coin for good luck! And gelato. Lots and lots of gelato. This will surely keep the whole family happy and refreshed throughout the vacation!
If you sense your family needing a break from the larger monuments and are instead seeking a natural escape, we suggest taking a bike tour of the Ancient Appian Way, a historic road leading from Rome to Brindisi. You’ll be able to stop along the route and inspect ruins as well as explore the underground catacombs dotted along the path!
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3) Loire Valley and Beyond
The Loire Valley region of France is a stunningly beautiful alternative to Paris. With so many things to do, any teen or pre-teen will be full to the brim with memories from this trip! There is no shortage of adventures to be had on the outskirts of the City of Love!
First up, you can’t spend time in the Loire Valley without visiting at least one castle. If your teens are less inclined to want to wander through a big old house however, maybe they’ll want to meander through a park with mini mansions on display! The Mini Chateaux park has tiny reproductions of 45 major chateaux in the region, making it a great overview of the history of architecture; have your teens choose which they’d want to live in, or do a scavenger hunt for a few of them!
For an unusual and inspiring attraction, visit Le Clos Lucé: the last residence of Leonardo Da Vinci. With interactive experiences and life-size reproductions of Da Vinci’s inventions, the whole family gets a taste of the 15th century magic.
Speaking of magic, if you have the time on your trip to head up north to the beaches, they’re a fantastic addition. You could stop at one of the beaches in Brittany for a day of coastal relaxation. Or move east a bit to the commune of Mont St Michel for a storybook daytrip; the commune is built atop a rocky island and is home to narrow winding roads, cobblestone paths and shops that quite resemble a medieval fair. Finally, if your teen is an aspiring historian, the beaches at Normandy are truly an experience to remember.
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